Challah for Justice

Edmonds Woodway student Miriam Gold has founded a new club at Edmonds Woodway called Challah for Justice. The club makes traditional Jewish bread (pronounced Hah-luh) and sells it for charity. Miriam was inspired by a Jewish youth organization, Hillel at University of Washington, a place for young Jewish people to congregate and talk about world issues. The group there also sold challah for charity, and it inspired Miriam to do the same thing at Edmonds Woodway. She explained, “I like making challah, and I like charity, and so maybe I should try it out at my school… I wanted to start my own club, but I didn’t want it to be something stupid that had no meaning to me, I didn’t wanna be like ‘Hey, I’m starting leaves on trees club. We look at leaves on trees!’” Miriam also an involved student. Not only has she started her own club, she is also an IB student, in debate, and Students Saving Salmon club. She also does 4H with her dogs in her free time.

Miriam’s Jewish identity has contributed a lot to her club. “I’m Jewish, challah is Jewish, there’s a connection there… when you have good challah, as a Jew, it’s like: woah this was my childhood. So it’s cool to be able to make that myself and have that meaning in there…it definitely is a cultural thing, I feel maybe more connected to my Jewish identity when I make challah.” This connection has inspired the ideas of the club and provides meaning to the cause. The club donates its proceeds to the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, an organization which provides resources and aid for immigrants in the area. “We were kind of looking at our list, we were like wow, a lot of times immigrant families get overlooked in this, because they’re not American citizens… they don’t necessarily seek aid as much… because Jews have always been, throughout history have been persecuted within society, that’s a huge Jewish thing is to be compassionate to the outsider, or maybe those who aren’t accepted in the society.”

Students who want to support the club can order challah by direct messaging Challah for Justice’s Instagram account, or they can help braid the bread themselves, in the chef room (F101) after school on Tuesdays, or go to the chef room on Wednesday during advisory to help sell it.